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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · clip · pass · mark · stock · track · tear · vault

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. track — a path
  3. stock — shares
  4. vault — a safe
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tear — to rip
  7. clip — to cut
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — a video
  11. stock — goods
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. track — a song
  16. pass — a permit
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mark — a trace

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com